A man even jumped onto the stage, shoving four or five hundred-yuan bills into Gong Xiaoyi's arms, shouting, "Little beauty, come here! Let me kiss you, and this money is yours!"
Several others followed suit, jumping onto the stage and waving banknotes at Gong Xiaoyi.
Gong Xiaoyi was terrified and cried out, "You...you don't come any closer! I...I don't want your money..."
But at this moment, she was no longer in control of her own destiny.
Just then, another agile figure leaped onto the stage. Unlike the others, he had no money in his hands, only tightly clenched fists; his face was devoid of any smile, only coldness and murderous intent.
Gong Xiaoyi saw him and immediately trembled, hardly believing her eyes.
A strong sense of joy appeared on her face. Although she had cried earlier, she had only bitten her lower lip and sobbed softly. But upon seeing that figure, she didn't know why, and burst into tears. Like a child who had suffered endless injustice!
Suddenly, the scene from that day at the construction site near her home flashed through her mind.
Several thugs surrounded and bullied her. Suddenly, a handsome older brother rushed over, claiming to be her brother, and then punched the thugs, beating them to a pulp.
Then, he even gave her money.
From that moment on, Gong Xiaoyi dreamed of that older brother several times, dreaming that he protected her.
However, as her family's situation worsened and she had to move, she thought she would never see that older brother named Lu Chen again.
At this moment, she still thought she was dreaming!
She rubbed her eyes hard and pinched the back of her hand hard—it hurt!
It shouldn't be a dream, right?
Lu Chen jumped onto the stage. He didn't hold back at all, clenching his fists and punching two men on the head with both fists. Instantly, they screamed in pain, completely disoriented. Then, Lu Chen grabbed them by the collar and hurled them off the stage.
In a flash, the two guys were tumbling out, yelling and crashing into a whole bunch of people, everyone rolling on the ground like gourds. The scene was instantly chaotic.
And this was just the beginning.
Lu Chen was ruthless. Several men on the stage were punched a few times, then either hurled by the collar, kicked, or, worse, lifted high and thrown out.
In no time, those who had climbed onto the stage to bully the young girl were all lying on the ground, howling in pain.
Lu Chen turned and was about to walk towards Gong Xiaoyi when the two thugs who had forced her back onto the stage while she was trying to escape backstage charged at her, wielding iron bars that were thick at one end and thin at the other.
They raised their iron bars and swung them down at Lu Chen, aiming for his head.
Lu Chen sneered, channeling his divine power.
"Slow down."
Instantly, the two iron bars hurtling towards him paused in mid-air.
This pause, though brief, was more than enough for Lu Chen. He roared, raising both fists and striking out with a flurry of blows.
Bang! Bang!
Before the iron bars could strike, Lu Chen's two powerful punches landed squarely on the foreheads of the two thugs.
They screamed in pain, staggering back several steps, their iron bars having missed their mark.
Lu Chen's punches contained hidden internal force, and since arriving in Yunzhou City, he had cultivated even more powerful internal energy through his culinary divine power, making his strength at least twice as great as before. That powerful smash must have weighed at least seventy or eighty pounds, leaving the two thugs somewhat disoriented.
Two large bumps quickly rose on their foreheads.
Lu Chen smiled coldly and beckoned to them: "Again!"
The two thugs exchanged fearful glances, their fear intensifying when they saw the bumps on each other's heads. They both found it strange; the two iron bars they had swung were clearly about to strike their opponent, yet suddenly it seemed to encounter resistance, unable to strike.
Then, their opponent had countered with a counterattack.
This was bizarre!
Even if it was bizarre, they had to fight! They roared violently, swinging their iron bars and charging forward again.
But soon, that feeling of stagnation returned. Not only their iron bars, but even their entire arms seemed to be stuck in invisible quagmire, impossible to pull out.
Immediately afterward, the two unfortunate thugs saw two powerful fists hurtling towards them.
Bang! Bang!
Two more thuds.
Followed by two near-inhuman screams.
This time it was far more deadly. The iron bars in the thugs' hands fell to the ground, and they stumbled back several steps, collapsing onto their backsides. Their hands trembled; they wanted to cover their foreheads, but dared not, for even a touch would cause excruciating pain. In an instant, they had lost all fighting ability.
Lu Chen's two punches were truly despicable, striking their foreheads again, and right on those large, raised bumps. This double whammy of injury and pain must have been unbearable torture!
The audience below was stunned.
Twice, they clearly saw the two large iron bars about to strike Lu Chen, but as if their strength had waned, they suddenly slowed down. So, they were all struck on the forehead by Lu Chen's fist.
When the thugs were hit on the forehead a second time, the audience's eyelids twitched, and they all felt a jolt in their heads.
A cheer erupted from the audience, mostly from the women.
Lu Chen beckoned to the two thugs slumped on the ground and casually asked, "Want another one?"
Naturally, this received no effective response.
However, the audience dispersed as a dozen or so nightclub thugs surged forward. They were all dressed in jeans and black short-sleeved T-shirts, each clutching a baton.
The leader was a bald, burly man, easily over 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick waist—clearly a tough guy. A blue dragon was tattooed on his bald head, looking particularly ferocious and terrifying.
He strode down to the stage, raised his arm to the side, and the thugs stopped in their tracks.
The bald, burly man stared coldly at Lu Chen, a ferocious grin spreading across his face, looking as if he wanted to devour him. He said, "Little brother, you've got some nerve, causing trouble here. Don't you know whose territory this is?"
Faced with so many thugs, Lu Chen felt a little uneasy. Even with his supernatural abilities and a well-thought-out plan, he wasn't sure how to handle such a large, dark group.
He should have carried a bottle of the Dragon Elixir with him; at least it would ensure a sufficient energy supply.
However, despite his inner turmoil, he remained calm and said casually, "This girl is my brother's sister. I haven't figured out why she's here doing a striptease, but she doesn't seem to be doing it willingly. Even if she is, I won't allow it. So, I'm taking her away!"
The bald, burly man lowered his head, pinched his nose, and suddenly let out a sinister, eerie laugh that sent chills down Lu Chen's spine. He seemed to be digressing: "My name is Bald Qiang. I started as a mercenary at fifteen, first in the Golden Triangle, then in Iraq, Afghanistan, and then in Africa. Now, I'm thirty-seven. I'm back, working as a security guard at this nightclub, the head of security."
His voice turned menacing: "In my twenty-odd years, I've seen plenty of naive, rude, and arrogant little bastards like you. You might have some skills, but you usually don't live long. I've taken down at least eighty or a hundred!"
Lu Chen felt a chill run down his spine. He had indeed sensed a strong killing intent as Bald Qiang spoke. That killing intent, he estimated, was something only Pang Bei could overcome.
However, his face remained cold: "Have you finished talking big? If you have, let me take her away. If not, keep talking!"
"Good lad!" Bald Qiang's face twitched: "Fine, I'll see what you're capable of, managing to wreck my Golden Coast establishment and take this little girl away!"
He slightly turned his head: "You all watch, don't move. I'll test this little brat's skills! Looks pretty good!" Then he grinned at Lu Chen: "Let's see if you're my match!"
With that, he pushed off the ground with his left foot, his massive body soaring into the air like a giant eagle, swooping towards the stage!
This Bald Qiang was indeed quite skilled. Just as he reached the stage, he switched bodies in mid-air, unleashing a powerful kick aimed straight at Lu Chen's chest.
Lu Chen chuckled and leaped over as well. On stage, he leaped higher than Bald Qiang, and simultaneously, his supernatural ability sent a command to slightly slow Bald Qiang's movements.
Under the influence of his ability, the electromagnetic fields around the two subtly changed. Bald Qiang suddenly felt a strange heaviness throughout his body. Although puzzled, he was a skilled fighter, far superior to the two security guards from before. He immediately unleashed his internal energy, and with a jolt, shattered that heaviness!
This internal energy was instantly sensed by Lu Chen, who felt a slight dizziness and a sway in his mind.
Although slight, it was enough to surprise him.
Clearly, this supernatural ability would be broken by a martial arts practitioner with considerable internal strength. Of course, Lu Chen could increase his mental energy, but that would increase the energy expenditure.
It's like pushing something weighing 100 pounds versus 300 pounds—the effort required is naturally different.
Fortunately, Lu Chen had also jumped, and although Bald Qiang quickly broke free from the sluggishness, he was still slightly slowed. Thus, Lu Chen dodged the kick and landed on the ground.
Bald Qiang's ability to change tactics was exceptional. Seeing Lu Chen disappear from the stage, he slammed his kick down hard on the side of the stage, then bounced back to the ground.
He landed opposite Lu Chen.
At this moment, the surrounding audience, driven away by the other thugs, retreated, revealing an open space.
This open space became the dueling ground for Bald Qiang and Lu Chen.
Lu Chen looked at the stage, raised a hand towards Gong Xiaoyi, who was slumped there, and slowly pressed it down. This meant for her not to panic and to stay still.
Tears streaming down her face, Gong Xiaoyi nodded, remained seated, and grabbed the school uniform she had taken off earlier to put it on.
Bald Qiang looked coldly at Lu Chen, pursed his lips, and said, "You kid, there's something strange about you."